More than 10,000 pre-programmed election-ready Diebold touch-screen voting machines, to be used for the first time across the entirety of San Diego County this November 7th, are now in the cars, garages, homes, and hands of poll workers and lord knows who else across one of Southern California's largest voting regions.

As reported in several first-hand accounts from San Diego poll workers just after recent training sessions (see end of article for one of those first-hand accounts), the voting machines were sent home on so-called overnight "sleepovers" with temporary poll workers beginning on October 16th, allowing for a full three weeks prior to the election for poll workers to find the 60 seconds they might need to hack a single machine. One tampered machine could affect the results on every single voting machine, in every race in the county.

San Diego Registrar Mikel Haas --- easily one of the country's worst and most irresponsible election administrators --- is unconcerned. He's also instructing poll workers not to give out paper ballots despite a recent order from the California Secretary of State.

The ability to easily insert malicious viral code onto Diebold's touch-screen systems has been proven, and video-taped by Princeton University and others. A single person could hack an entire election, flipping votes undetectably, and no trace would be left behind after the election.

But it's not just tampering that should be of concern to the voters of San Diego. It's the fact that these particular systems are amongst the most unreliable in the country. They simply do not work.

Diebold touch-screen voting systems are innacurate. Their screens freeze. Their printers jam and fail to create reliable "paper trails" and frequently they simply fail to start up at all. All of which occurred during Primary Elections in states across the country earlier this year, resulting in thousands of legally registered voters being disenfranchised, or turned away without being able to cast a ballot.

Incredibly, Haas has ordered these systems to be used for the first time in this November's general election, without even a test run during the June 6th Primary & Special Election, when a blended system of both Diebold optical-scan (paper-based) and touch-screens was used.

The few touch-screen systems in place during the June election (one per polling location) went almost completely unused. And yet Haas has ordered them for use across the entire county this November, despite notorious failures by these same unreliable systems in states like Georgia and Maryland and --- perhaps most notably --- Cuyahoga County, OH, where the systems in first-time use failed monumentally during the Buckeye State's Primary Election.

USA TODAY wrote Friday about the aftermath of Cuyahoga's Primary Elections and the extraordinary measures now being taken to turn the county's temporary poll workers into rocket scientists able to trouble-shoot the many expected problems with the systems. After some 300+ recommendations were made by an independent audit of that particular train wreck, elections officials are scrambling and bracing for the worst.

Haas, however, has taken no such measures and, indeed, his poll worker training has reportedly consisted of instructing folks to sing the praises of electronic machines and avoid handing out paper ballots to voters despite the recently unearthed memo from the California Secretary of State's office instructing all Registrar's that all California voters may vote on paper if they wish.

An account of one such training class by Ken Simpkins, the Carlsbad attorney who filed an election contest to challenge the results of the Francine Busby/Brian Bilbray Special Election sleepover fiasco last June, reports that workers are being told not to give paper ballots to voters even if machines are unavailable when voters show up to vote.

"If the machines were not ready at the opening of the polls and voters were there," Simpkins writes about instructions given at a training class he attended, "voters should be asked to wait until the machines are ready." His full description of that and other stunning moments from Haas's training is at the end of this item.

In an accidental fit of reporting, the far-right San Diego Union Tribune yesterday asked Haas about the ongoing "sleepovers" in an article on concerns about the county's upcoming beta test election. As usual, his obnoxious answer was just another "fuck you" to the voters of San Diego:

Taking the machines home has been condemned widely by those who fear hacking. Some believe the "sleepovers" used in San Diego and other counties effectively invalidate election results, because the "chain of custody" of election results cannot be ensured.

Haas disagrees. "We know exactly who has the machines," he said. "We know where they live."

Never mind that we've previously reported first-hand accounts from poll workers who took voting machines home with them during the June 6th election, where they admitted that family members, and any number of neighbors, may well have had easy access to the machines in the "secure storage space" known as their garage or their car. But Haas knows "where they live." So rest easy, San Diegans!

Also, never mind that such sleepovers are in violation of state and federal law. But, hey, it's San Diego! Mikel Haas territory! He makes the rules and can do whatever he wants!

With no practice or experience at running an entire election with their new Diebold touch-screen systems, San Diego may be headed towards a complete meltdown on Election Day and Haas doesn't seem to give much of a damn.

One might think he'd be concerned that his career is on the line if things go South next week. But he doesn't seem to be worried. Leading us to believe that either this man is delusional, or something more nefarious. Either way, San Diego, you know who to blame on November 8th when your reputation is cemented as one of democracy's national laughing stocks.

But don't worry, there's a "voter verified paper trail" now attached to each Diebold touch-screen system in San Diego. The bad news: It won't actually be counted. And since it won't actually be "voter verified" at all, it won't much matter anyway. There are 55 measures and races on the ballot in San Diego this year, and that means they'll scroll by the little view window --- Diebold includes a magnifying glass with every touch-screen machine...seriously --- before any voter can actually verify that so-called "paper trail."

Simpkins reports that poll workers told the class not to worry when they asked about the "paper trail" scrolling by too quickly to actually be "voter verified" as required by California State Law. "You verify the votes from the on-screen summary," the instructor said. "The window on the printer is just to verify that the printer is working."

So the California "paper trail" is useless and a joke. Kinda like Haas! But he knows that very well, and doesn't give a damn, because he hates democracy and San Diego's voters!

Now if we only knew how to make sure that it won't be Haas's uncountable, unaccountable, unverifiable, compromised voting systems which end up giving CA's Secretary of State and Diebold shill, Bruce McPherson, the "votes" he needs to defeat election integrity champion Debra Bowen next week.

Between Haas's no-confidence election and a few others run like it around the state, like that of the awful Registrar Debbi Hench up in San Joaquin, McPherson should be able to get whatever he needs to assure victory. Good thing he re-certified those Diebold machines just in time to be used this year! And good thing he can rely on his buddies in the registrar offices around the state. Now that's what we call oversight! Isn't it wonderful when everyone gets along so well together?!

What a frickin' disaster.

See Ken Simpkins account of poll worker training in San Diego below...

From: Ken SimpkinsSubject: San Diego Poll Training

The San Diego County Registrar of Voters is holding poll worker training in preparation for the November 2006 election. One of the participants reported that the general theme of the class was: "Voting machines are fun and exciting. More people will come and vote because of how exciting the machines are." The class was taught that security is important, but the words "fraud" and "hack" were never uttered. Precinct Inspectors took their TSx's and other ballot material home today with instructions to keep the material "in the safest place possible," and not in the car.

The class was taught that paper ballots are available, but it was not emphasized. In fact, the class was told that if the machines were not ready at the opening of the polls and voters were there, voters should be asked to wait until the machines are ready. Same thing if they are short staffed or have a line of voters. An instructor was asked why voters were not just offered paper ballots. He didn’t seem to like that idea, but said sure you could do that. Each polling place will have standard notices regarding the election, but nothing will be posted to inform voters that the option to vote on paper is available.

The roster of voters is supposed to be updated every hour. One of the participants said from past experience that she just didn’t have time to do that. The class was told no one would get in trouble if you only do it, say, four times during the 13 hour day.

The printers on the TSx are easy to read, if you can read real fast. When one of the participants pointed out that the voter is supposed to ensure that the paper reflects the votes cast on the machine, and that the ballot scrolls too fast to read what it says, he was told, "You verify the votes from the on-screen summary. The window on the printer is just to verify that the printer is working." The class was not instructed on how deal with printer jams. The instructors were concerned that, "We are giving you so much information that we just don't have time to cover that. If a printer jams, just call the hot line." So confident in the performance of the voting machines, the instructors felt that voters would not need paper ballots if the machines broke down. That’s because the trouble shooting team of technicians would always only be five minutes away, like Maytag repairmen, just waiting anxiously for something to go wrong.

The in-field trouble shooters are county employees and Diebold contractors. Both will be wearing county uniforms with county IDs. The seals on the memory cards are tamper evident numbered tape. While the memory cards, as you are reading this, are being stored under someone’s bed, they are protected with tamper evident tape. According to Bev Harris [of BlackBoxVoting.org], the TSx machines are as vulnerable as the scanners: after removing the screws and opening the case, the memory card doors fall off by themselves. Eliminates the need for an Allen wrench and a pair of needle-nosed pliers. The theme of the class is: Paper is old-school. Be excited about electronic voting.

Just wanted pass along that you were mentioned on the Radio Nation with Laura Flanders show yesterday by Francine Busby, about 1 hour 35 min into the show (without commercials). She just mentioned that she's taking the handling of this election more seriously, thanks to you.

Is there any way that, at least, Democrats could be notified to demand their right to paper ballots when they vote, either by mailers or by phoning them beforehand or by placement of individuals with signs at polling locations?

I called the San Diego Registrar of Voters office to find out how many paper ballots are being supplied to my precint (I am an Assistant Inspector this time) and was bounced from person to person to person... It seems Mikel Haas is keeping staff members "barefoot and pregnant" since nobody could tell me much of anything.

I was told by one that since voters were being encouraged to use the touchscreen machines that paper ballots wouldn't be a problem. I told her many in my precinct intended to vote using paper (I didn't tell her I contacted everyone in my precinct twice and encouraged them to do so!) so she related that my Field Supervisor and/or roving Troubleshooter would be able to suppy them should we run low. However, the supply is limited since people will be e-voting. I asked if they each would have a stash of paper ballots available --- she didn't know.

Re poll worker training --- I was told the plastic doors that covered the paper printout would be removed from the machines this time (we'll see). I was also told that voters could check the paper printout easily before casting their votes even though there were so many issues and contests. And oh yeah, voters can ask for paper ballots; just give them a privacy sleeve and put it in the box. If I hadn't been listening for that I would have missed it in the blink of an eye!

NoName - Proactive legal action back in June after the Special Election was meant precisely to keep this from happening in November. Lack of support from the Busby campaign and the Dems in general, made it very tough going. Especially when Denny Hastert and the RNC got behind a letter to encourage the judge to throw out the case. It's being appealed, but again, no Dems in sight.

That said, legal action may well be in the works for what's going on right now in SD. More when I can file a confirmed report.

Just in case the midterm election goes landslide against bu$$hco and the Democrats gain the majority in either House,.. with full subpoena power,.. Dick cheney has the industrial paper shredders ready to grind up the incriminating evidence that could be used against this Fascist administration.

Where is the sheer "outrage" of the citizens of San Diego?? Are they that apathetic that they will take the time to participate in an exercise which is a charade because they function of a state of denial? Or apathy? Why bother taking the time to stand on lines to vote then? It sounds like a "given" that this SOS is "unconcerned" because he knows that the "rig" is already in...what a travesty and joke on the people of San Diego.

I also heard Busby on Laura Flanders. She was on with John Hall, who is super sharp, and the contrast emphasized how shallow and clueless she is. She actually said that she didn't follow up on the sleep-overs because she was getting ready for the fall election! And then she spewed that vague and noncommittal DLC line to the effect that her campaign was aware of the issue. Maybe it's the middle-management hair, but I just can't stand that woman.

Has anyone considered the possibility that all this is very very deliberate. Not the theivery itself, but the patently obvious "glitches". They want us to see these "glitches" and jump up and down frothing at the mouth with outrage.

The point is to get us frothing. Make us look hysterical as we screech about conspiracy theories.

Then, as the results come in, the democrats just scraping through, as massive voter outrage overwhealms the fix, they will finally take notice and acknowledge the many documented errors in the physical machinery, whilst very carefully failing to notice any systemic errors.

They saddly shake their heads: "The 'Looney Left', always ready to see conspiracy in honest error. Teething problems. 63000 odd doccumented errors in Windows XP, so one or two in the machines is only to be expected."

"Oh and very sorry. But The problems with the machines ARE real. Sadly, there is no choice but to declare all results void and suspend elections until the very real problems with the machines are sorted out and stringent tests are conducted to ensure no recurrence."

"We agree at least on one thing: 'The electoral process has to be invoilate.' We would be remiss if we allowed questionable elections to go ahead."

And so on. All: "More in sorrow"; "For the best of reasons";

And the louder people scream and froth the more reasonable they appear.

I just dropped off my absentee ballot at the San Diego Voter Registrar's office. They had a person outside under a tent taking people's ballots from your car window so you didn't have to go inside (at least I HOPE they were officially part of the Registrar's office and not some "blessed Republican group" doing so. It was a black woman that took my ballot so I wasn't feeling too bad about that).

However, once I handed my envelope with my absentee ballot in it. She handed me back an "I Voted" sticker that we usually get on voting day. I took a closer look at the sticker and it actually said "I Voted Touch Screen"!!!! What's with that? Should I be scared? Given Haas's non-compliance with providing paper ballots here, I think I should be VERY scared.

I'm guessing everyone, in order to wear an "I voted" sticker on election day, will have to wear one of these, whether they voted paper or not, and I also wonder if that also translated means that they will enter my absentee ballot through one of these machines too (without my being able to verify and check that votes aren't being flipped as they are in other parts of the country!). We need some alternative "I Voted stickers" with this sticker with an X through the Touc h Screen part of it and either "Absentee" or "paper" at the bottom.

I just looked more closely at this "I Voted Touch Screen" sticker, and in fine print it says "County of San Diego", so this is a brainchild of the infamous Mikel Haas's office and/or the decade long all Republican Board of Supervisors here. How Democrat Richard Barrera lost in a largely Democratic district in the primaries should also be investigated more closely after this election. He SHOULD have been able to win. Someone like him there would keep this Registar's office a lot more honest than I think they've been.

After i scraped my jaw from the floor (that pictures should be broadcasted on CNN 24/7) i started to wonder how the actual distribution really works - like, does the distributer know all pollworkers personally?.

Even if so they should present photo-ID (do they have to?). Or a special identity card (do these exist?). Nobody in Germany would trust ANYBODY with such a device - not your wife, not your son - without proper ID and verification!

I know that people in America are more relaxed - good for you, most of the time. But i wonder if something like "Hi, i am Mary-Sue, i am picking up this thingy for John-Bob, he had to go to the dentist" wouldn't actually work...

"I know that people in America are more relaxed - good for you, most of the time. But i wonder if something like "Hi, i am Mary-Sue, i am picking up this thingy for John-Bob, he had to go to the dentist" wouldn't actually work…"

That depends.. is the woman big breasted and a man handing out the machines? If so, there's a 90% chance it WOULD work.

Though, NONE of these "poll workers" have any kind of clearance, no background check (of any merit, I'd guess), nothing to indicate that they would "never do anything shady" with these machines, and nothing to suggest they would "guarentee their secure storage". These are Americans, and in general, sadly, lazy ignorant sheeple.

The -fact- that these machines are going home after the June fiasco PROVES that Democracy and the integrity of the vote is DEAD in America (well, at least SD).

People aren't outraged because people don't know (for the most part). Corporate America is making sure it's slave population is kept OUT of the loop since a massive swing Democratic (with real Dems, not DINOs) would destroy the profits of the top 1%-ers. They won't allow that, ever. As an example, Clinton did some great things, but he -also- helped forward the Corporate Agenda to the demise of a lot of American jobs.

People are scared, they just won't admit it. We've become lazy and jittery as a society and the right-wing rethuglicans know that. They are the biggest criminals in our country, and they are roaming free to abuse the masses for their own ends, and steal control of the mechinisms that would prosecute them. Not only are the inmates running the asylum, the cons are running the prison.

I hadn't talked to my sister in some time the other night, when I found out that her 17-year old daughter had demanded to be a poll worker, and their house was full of voting machines! Wow! My sister went to all the training classes with her daughter, and said they *did not* show how to reboot the machines! If they freeze up or whatever, they have to call over some technician or something.
Can 17 year olds be poll workers? They don't have to be 18? Anyways, give me some good questions to ask her about the training, or lack thereof.

I've filed an official complaint with the Calif Sec State elections Div... but these people don't care.
Call your city council, mayor, county supervisor, newspapers, TV stations. File a complaint with the FBI.

The "security" tape is only good for a couple hours of unfettered access, at best. The machines can be hacked multiple ways. Mikel Haas, the San Diego Registrar of Voters, lacks the competence to detect hacking.
This is a crime about to happen... don't let them do it.

Voting at the Registrar of Voters in San Diego still produces uncertainty that my vote would be counted. The absentee ballots are being counted by hand. There is a address line under the signature line on the absentee ballot envelope. I chose to deliver it to the Registrar of Voters office on Ruffin Road in San Diego and ask exactly what signature and what address was in their system. No one would actually look it up. I was shuffled from person to person and each one gave a different answer and each claimed that their answer was THE ANSWER. No one would actually look it up. I am still uncertain whether my ballot will be disgarded or counted because of the required envelope that covered it. If you use the preprinted address tag address, a PO Box in this case, or if you have a middle initial, do you use the period after the initial or not. The period is not after the initial on the preprinted envelope address. After asking 5 people, I should have felt secure in the answer but each one of the 5 had a variance. And, the place was not crowded, yet I was made to feel that they did not have time for my foolishness. And, no one would actually look it up even though I was at the Registrar of Voters and it was not crowded.

I've heard of some absentee voters reporting ballots sent back to them by return mail, without explanation. The ballots weigh more than one ounce - I wonder if they were actually returned due to inadequate postage?
My son received one of the zeroxed absentee ballots that were sent to voters when the Registrar's office ran out of regular ballots. The problem with this is that the voter's intentions will be manually transferred onto an actual ballot at the Registrar of Voters office - lots of room for error! Will the zerox ballots be tallied separately from the regular mail-in ballots? If not, there will be no way of checking for fraud.

I worked the poll today for San Diego precinct 320900. We had eight Diebold touchscreen voting machines. Each of these machines has two access doors. One door secures the power switch and the other the memory card. Each access door has a tamper-apparent seal covering it. Each seal is numbered, and the number is recorded on an audit card. For seven of the eight machines the seal number for the memory cards did not match the audit card. All of the seal numbers for the power switch matched the audit card. I think this needs to be publicized more. I contacted the San Diego Union Tribune and a local TV station, but I haven't seen anything on it yet.

I have yet to read from anyone a good way to get the machines from the elections warehouse to the polling place on election morning at 6am. Are they supposed to miracle themselves there? Anyone with a valid response? Anyone?

Yes Howdy.. it's a problem. Perhaps, if we can't securely get them to the stations, we shouldn't use them

However, it's not intractable. They pick them all up the same night. If they would do two shifts for poll workers then the first shift could pick up at the drop off point, even if they did have to get up earlier than usual.

As always, it's not impossible, it's just that people are too lazy or cheap.